Sending a confirmation code over the phone is already a familiar choice for account protection, but potential security risks have forced Google to find a replacement.
Gmail spokesperson Ross Richendrfer said the goal of the change is to "reduc the impact of SMS abuse globally".
Instead of entering a phone number to receive a authentication code via text message, users will scan the QR code provided by Google. This still requires the use of smartphones but no longer depends on the form of unsafe SMS.
Although SMS authentication is better than no security, text messages still have many loopholes. Cybercriminals can take control of users' phone numbers by tricking network operators into transferring them to other devices.
In the long term, Google and many technology companies are aiming to completely eliminate passwords and replace them with passkeys technology (login via a dedicated authentication code). However, this conversion process takes time, and enhancing security for the current authentication method still plays an important role.
